Abraham Lincoln? Dean Acheson? Vermont Woman? Andrew Tully? Lion? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Contemplating the future can be overwhelming when one is facing endless demands and myriad dangers. The following saying mixes humor, acceptance, and sanguinity: The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time. U.S. President …
Tag Archives: Abraham Lincoln
Quote Origin: Tact Is the Ability To Describe Others As They See Themselves
Mary Pettibone Poole? Abraham Lincoln? Aldous Huxley? Eleanor Chaffee? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The ability to perceive others as they see themselves is an enormously helpful guide for smooth and productive interactions. Here is a pertinent adage: Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves. This saying has been attributed …
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Quote Origin: He Is a Great Rascal. Ah! But He Is Our Rascal
Franklin D. Roosevelt? Abraham Lincoln? Thaddeus Stevens? Benjamin Butler? Philip Cook? Bill Higgins? John Franklin Carter? Justin Herman? Wayne Hays? Alistair Cooke? Cordell Hull? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A participant in the harsh domain of political power often faces difficult decisions. For example, should one promote a member of one’s party even when …
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Quote Origin: If They Turn Their Backs To the Fire, and Get Scorched in the Rear, They’ll Find They Have Got To ‘Sit’ on the ‘Blister’!
Abraham Lincoln? Francis Bicknell Carpenter? Carl Sandburg? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Apparently Abraham Lincoln employed a vividly powerful metaphor when discussing the people’s responsibility during an election. The precise phrasing is uncertain. Here is one version: If the people turn their backs to a fire they will burn their behinds, and they will just …
Quote Origin: When You Are Young, You Have the Face Your Parents Gave You. After You Are Forty, You Have the Face You Deserve
George Orwell? Coco Chanel? Mae West? Ingrid Bergman? Albert Camus? Abraham Lincoln? Edwin M. Stanton? Lucius E. Chittenden? Albert Schweitzer? Maurice Chevalier? William H. Seward? Edward Lee Hawk? William Shakspeare? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A person’s true character can be deduced by the careful study of the face according to believers in physiognomy. This …
Quote Origin: I Destroy My Enemies When I Make Them My Friends
Abraham Lincoln? Emperor Sigismund? Martin Luther King? Loretta Young? Mark Twain? Cardinal Richelieu? Robert Jones Burdette? John Wooden? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The leader of a victorious group decided to treat the vanquished people with compassion. Critics of the leader were unhappy because they believed that the enemies deserved destruction. Here are three versions …
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Quote Origin: He Can Compress the Most Words In the Fewest Ideas of Anyone I Ever Knew
Abraham Lincoln? Henry Clay Whitney? Elliott Anthony? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A verbose speaker employing overblown rhetoric reportedly inspired a humorous observation from U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Here are two versions: Is there any substantive evidence that Lincoln actually made this quip? Reply from Quote Investigator: There are two distinct anecdotes supporting the attribution …
Quote Origin: A Man Who Is His Own Lawyer Has a Fool for a Client
Abraham Lincoln? William De Britaine? Roger L’Estrange? Italian Proverb? Benjamin Franklin? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Evaluating complex legal issues requires expertise. Abraham Lincoln reportedly employed the following adage. Here are two versions: Would you please explore this topic? Quote Investigator: The earliest partial match known to QI appeared in the 1682 book “Humane Prudence, or, …
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Quote Origin: Let Them Know the Truth, and the Country Is Safe
Abraham Lincoln? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The Newseum is a museum in Washington, D.C. featuring exhibits about the history of communication, the news industry, and free expression. A powerful quotation attributed to Abraham Lincoln is engraved into one of its walls: Let the people know the facts, and the country will be safe. I …
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Quote Origin: Never Wrestle with a Pig. You Both Get Dirty and the Pig Likes It
George Bernard Shaw? Mark Twain? Abraham Lincoln? Cyrus Stuart Ching? J. Frank Condon? Richard P. Calhoon? N. H. Eagle? Cale Yarborough? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular metaphorical adage warns individuals not to engage with disreputable critics. Here are two versions: This saying has been credited to a triumvirate of quotation superstars: Mark Twain, …
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